Multidrop adapter

ABSTRACT

A multidrop adapter or dispenser in which a tubular member which may have an enlarged head for containing a powder or substance to be mixed with a liquid in the remainder of the tubular member is telescopically received in a second tubular member which seals one end of a piston which extends into the first tubular member and has a bore which extends out of said second tubular member to expel a drop of liquid when said first tubular member is telescopically moved into said second tubular member and over said piston; and resilient means biasing said first tubular member out of said second tubular member. A plug in said first tubular member is dispelled into said enlarged head upon movement of said first tubular member over said piston when said enlarged head is employed in the invention.

United States Patent Primary Examiner-Samuel F. Coleman AssistantExaminer-Norman L. Stack, Jr. Attorney-Finkelstein and Mueth ABSTRACT: Amultidrop adapter or dispenser in which a tubular member which may havean enlarged head for containing a powder or substance to be mixed with aliquid in the remainder of the tubular member is telescopically receivedin a second tubular member which seals one end of a piston which extendsinto the first tubular member and has a bore which extends out of saidsecond tubular member to expel a drop of liquid when said first tubular:member is telescopically moved into said second tubular member and oversaid piston; and resilient means biasing said first tubular member outof said second tubular member. A plug in said first tubular member isdispelled into said enlarged head upon movement of said first tubularmember over said piston when said enlarged head is employed in theinvention.

PATENTED m1 6l97| SHEET 1 BF 2 INVENTOR 605667- W. 0646 a ax Arrow/6V5MUL'IIDROP ADAPTER BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Devices for dispensingrepeated drops of medicine or other liquids for a variety of purposesare of great antiquity hence the man skilled in the art hasa wealth ofhistoric development from which to draw. Perhaps the simplest suchdevice constitutes a mere short length of tubing, such as a straw, whichcan be filled or partially filled with water or other liquid and dropsdispensed by alternately placing and removing a finger from the upperend of such an inverted straw. The eyedropper with its squeezable rubberbulb affixed to a glass tubing dispenser is a familiar occupant ofnearly every medicine cabinet. Nevertheless, when it is desired forexample, to give a vaccination by applying a drop of vaccine over anopened portion of the skin of a patient it is still common practice toresort to a syringe or other costly or complicated device for dispensingthe single drop of vaccine required. More particularly, the problembecomes compounded when the liquid to be dispensed is one which must bemade up just before it is dispensed, as for example, where a powder ismixed with a liquid just before application or where two liquids whichare not compatible over any extended period of time are to be mixed justprior to application.

Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide amultidrop adapter which retains the traditional simplicity of suchdevices and yet is capable of dispensing a plurality of carefullymeasured single drops of liquid,which may be in one of the embodimentsof this invention a liquid which has just been constituted, in situ, bymixing together a powder and a liquid or two liquids just prior to theiruse.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will beapparent from the more detailed description which follows.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Turning to the drawings:

FIG. I is a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the plug after displacement;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 after a complete depressing ofthe cylinder and the formation of a drop of liquid about to be released;I

FIG. 4 is a vertical section of the device illustrated in FIG. 1 andtaken along the line 4-4;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a preferred form of resilient meansutilized in the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a vertical section of a further embodiment of the invention;and

FIG. 8 is a vertical section of the device shown in FIG. 7 in a fullydepressed condition of the cylinder.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is illustrated amultidrop adapter in the preferred embodiment of which there is utilizeda device 10 which is termed herein a cylinder because it receives a plug11 and a piston 12 but which has an enlarged, hollow head 13 asillustrated. The plug 11 normally fits in the cylinder 10 as indicatedin FIG. I but is displaced into the head 13 prior to the dispensing of adrop of liquid as hereinafter described.

Head I3 is normally partially filled with a dry substance or powder 14but the number 14 can be taken to illustrate a liquid other than theliquid 15 which fills the space between the piston I2 and the plug 11.

The remaining parts constituting the preferred embodiment are theapplicator l6 and the compression pad 17.

The applicator I6 is in the form of a cylinder having a flange 18 and anannular skirt I9 the interior of which cylinder receives in sliding fitthe exterior of the cylinder 10.

Piston 12 is generally in the form of a solid flexible member of rubberor rubberlike material having a longitudinal central passage or bore 20.A nose 21 of reduced cross section, and an enlarged upper end 22 havinga pair ofspaced sealing rings 23 and 24 formed thereon and adapted tosealingly engage the exterior of the cylinder 10. The tapered underside25 of end 22 is cemented or glued to inner cylinder 26 by joiningmaterial 27 so that piston 12 is effectively held in place duringoperation of the device.

The compression pad 17 is preferably made of rubber and has the form ofa ring with three downturned legs 28 which in use rest upon the bottomof applicator 16 in the annular space between the outer wall ofapplicator I6 and cylinder 26.

For storage, the device may be provided with a cap 29 which seals onboth skirt l9 and nose 21 to maintain sterility. The cap is removedprior to operation of the device.

The operation of the above-described device is as follows: Assuming thedevice illustrated to be filled with a liquid 15 between the plug 11 andthe piston 12 and a powder 14in the head 13. The device is held in anupright position with the head 13 low and the nose 21 high. In thisposition a collapsing of the device by pressing the cylinder 10 into theapplicator l6 and over the piston I2 will cause the plug 11 to be blowninto the head 13 as indicated in FIG. 2. In this condition the liquid 15may mix with the powder 14 (or two liquids may mix). Thereafter, thedevice is inverted, the nose 21 is pointed at the spot where a drop ofliquid 30 is desired and the device is further collapsed to thecondition shown in FIG. 3 in which the end of cylinder 10 contacts thering portion of pad 17, collapses the legs 28 thereof and forces a dropor bead of liquid 30 to fall from the nose 21. Thereafter, the head 13may be released and the device will return to its original expandedcondition, with the plug 11, however, still in head 13, under the forceof the resilience of the legs 28 of pad 17. The return of the device tothe expanded position draws air into the head 13 through bore 20 topermit the forming of a succeeding drop.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 6, there is shown an embodimentof the invention wherein the cylinder 31 differs from the cylinder 10 bynot having an enlarged head 13 and by having a closed end 32 instead ofa plug 11. Obviously, this device merely dispenses a drop of liquid anddoes not perform any mixing function. All of the remaining parts areidentical with those of the previous embodiment.

Turning now to FIGS. 7 and 8, there is shown a further embodiment of theinvention wherein a cylinder 33 has a plug 34, a piston 35 and anenlarged head 36 generally comparable to the correlative numbers 10--I3of the first embodiment. An applicator 37 similar to the applicator 116has a flange 38 and a reduced hub 39. The applicator 37 includes anintegral upstanding cylindrical portion 40 preferably formed integrallywith the remainder of the applicator 37 and spaced inwardly from thesidewall of the applicator to leave an annular space 41. A coil spring42 surrounds the member 40 in the annular space 41 and has its upper endengaging the flange 43 of a member 44. Member 44 is preferably formed ofplastic and is a cylindrical sleeve adapted to fit over the upstandingmember 7 40 and have its flange 43 also engaged by the end of thecylinder 33 as clearly shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The upstanding member 40may be internally threaded as at 49 to receive the external threads 45of a rubber piston 35 threaded therein as indicated. A tube 46 iscemented in the bore 47 of the hub 39 and extends upwardly within themember 40 and into the bore 48 of piston 35 as shown.

The operation of the device shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is identical withthat of FIGS. 1-6 with the coil spring 42 I claim:

1. A multidrop dispenser comprising:

a first tubular member having an open end and a closed end;

a second tubular member having an open end and a partially closed end,said first tubular member being telescopically slidable in said secondtubular member;

a piston in said first tubular member and having a portion extendinginto and through the partially closed end of said second tubular member;

a central bore in said piston; and

resilient means having extended and collapsed positions carried by saidsecond tubular member and adapted to engage said first tubular memberand biasing said first tubular member towards extended rather thancollapsed position of said resilient means.

2. A multidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 1 in which said firsttubular member is provided with an enlarged head and a stopper adaptedto be forced into said enlarged head upon partial telescopic movement ofsaid first tubular member into said second tubular member.

3. A multidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 1 in which said pistonterminates in a nose upon which a bead, a drop, of liquid is formed uponexpulsion of such liquid from said first tubular member through saidbore by telescopic movement of said first tubular member into saidsecond tubular member and over said piston.

4. A multidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 2 in which said pistonterminates in a nose upon which a bead, a drop, of liquid is formed uponexpulsion of such liquid from said first tubular member through saidbore by telescopic movement of said first tubular member into saidsecond tubular member and over said piston.

5. A multidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 1 in which said resilientmeans comprises a rubberlike ring member adapted to be compressed uponmovement of said first tubular member into said second tubular member.

6. A multidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 2 in which said resilientmeans comprises a rubberlike ring member adapted to be compressed uponmovement of said first tubular member into said second tubular member.

7. A multidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 3 in which said resilientmeans comprises a rubberlike ring member adapted to be compressed uponmovement of said first tubular member into said second tubular member.

8. A multidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 1 in which said resilientmeans comprises a coil spring seated in said second tubular member andadapted to engage the partially closed end thereof at one end and theinner end of said first tubular member at the other end thereof.

9. A multidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 2 in which said resilientmeans comprises a coil spring seated in said second tubular member andadapted to engage the partially closed end thereof at one end and theinner end of said first tubular member at the other end thereof.

10. A multidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 4 in which saidresilient means comprises a coil spring seated in said second tubularmember and adapted to engage the partially closed end thereof at one endand the inner end of said first tubular member at the other end thereof.

1. A multidrop dispenser comprising: a first tubular member having anopen end and a closed end; a second tubular member having an open endand a partially closed end, said first tubular member beingtelescopically slidable in said second tubular member; a piston in saidfirst tubular member and having a portion extending into and through thepartially closed end of said second tubular member; a central bore insaid piston; and resilient means having extended and collapsed positionscarried by said second tubular member and adapted to engage said firsttubular member and biasing said first tubular member towards extendedrather than collapsed position of said resilient means.
 2. A multidropdispenser as set forth in claim 1 in which said first tubular member isprovided with an enlarged head and a stopper adapted to be forced intosaid enlarged head upon partial telescopic movement of said firsttubular member into said second tubular member.
 3. A multidrop dispenseras set forth in claim 1 in which said piston terminates in a nose uponwhich a bead, a drop, of liquid is formed upon expulsion of such liquidfrom said first tubular member through said bore by telescopic movementof said first tubular member into said second tubular member and oversaid piston.
 4. A multidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 2 in whichsaid piston terminates in a nose upon which a bead, a drop, of liquid isformed upon expulsion of such liquid from said first tubular memberthrough said bore by telescopic movement of said first tubular memberinto said second tubular member and over said piston.
 5. A multidropdispenser as set forth in claim 1 in which said resilient meanscomprises a rubberlike ring member adapted to be compressed uponmovement of said first tubular member into said second tubular member.6. A multidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 2 in which said resilientmeans comprises a rubberlike ring member adapted to be compressed uponmovement of said first tubular member into said second tubular member.7. A multidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 3 in which said resilientmeans comprises a rubberlike ring member adapted to be compressed uponmovement of said first tubular member into said second tubular member.8. A multidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 1 in which said resilientmeans comprises a coil spring seated in said second tubular member andadapted to engage the partially closed end thereof at one end anD theinner end of said first tubular member at the other end thereof.
 9. Amultidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 2 in which said resilientmeans comprises a coil spring seated in said second tubular member andadapted to engage the partially closed end thereof at one end and theinner end of said first tubular member at the other end thereof.
 10. Amultidrop dispenser as set forth in claim 4 in which said resilientmeans comprises a coil spring seated in said second tubular member andadapted to engage the partially closed end thereof at one end and theinner end of said first tubular member at the other end thereof.